Can you tell us about your affinity with the Balearics and how it has influenced your cooking?
When I was 18 I moved to Menorca as my first job as a chef after college. There was where I really fell for the highest quality ingredients. Every morning we hit those markets to buy our produce for dinner was a highlight and a good memory that has always stuck with me. To be surrounded by the most amazing, freshest ingredients is what instilled into me the way I cook today, I believe that my time in the Balearics really shaped and paved the way I think in the kitchen today
Your motto is “cooking and raving, raving and cooking”. Explain how food and music are connected for you?
I guess the two are massively connected for me. School for me was difficult as I’ve always been creative and found myself at home engulfed in the explosion of dance culture in the ‘90s. I was heavily involved in the underground rave scene growing up in the late nineties and working as an MC in the early noughties, I was obsessed with the scene, the togetherness, the creativity and the immersive-ness it brought.
I started off as a KP in the kitchen because I could work, finish at 11pm then hit the raves; it really suited my late-night lifestyle. I enjoyed the kitchen space just as much because it’s a free, creative space and so I felt at home. I pushed and progressed my cooking and music at equal measures; the process of creating dishes and also writing lyrics or DJ’ing comes from the same egg, the same creative part of my body, I feel the synergy.
When you aren’t partying or cooking, where are your favourite places to kick back on the island?
I love Es Canar for its bohemian vibe and small artisan feeling; it’s such a beautiful retreat. As is Cala Vadella, its picturesque pine-covered hills are beautiful. I love nature and it feels like a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the nightlife. It's a slice of Balearic magic. An amazing seafood restaurant is Can Pujol; I love simple local ingredients cooked perfectly and here it’s done to a tee with a view to match.
Sustainability is often be used as a buzzword, but can you share some more on your support of the slow food movement?
My ethos at the restaurant (Carters of Moseley, Birmingham) is to cook with solely UK ingredients so ultimately this makes it completely sustainable. It’s always been in my DNA as a chef to embrace the local products and producers, and we have spent the last 6 years replacing wisely known imported ingredients like lemons and limes that won’t grow here because of our climate, with UK alternative plants, herbs and wild ingredients. The more we look, the more we find!
Three favourite songs to play in the kitchen?
Very hard to pick just three tunes! I think with the white isle in my thoughts it will have to be Ibiza-inspired although I have so many tunes for the kitchen!
Let’s go, Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You, Inner City - Big Fun & Gat Decor - Passion - all absolute bangers!
What can guests expect from your menu in collaboration with The Standard, Ibiza at Beat Hotel Presents: Island Times?
I’ve collaborated with Chef Iker to create a one-off menu for the event which for me is the highlight of the year! The concept has taken inspiration from Ibiza dance floors; Warm up, Main Room and Afterparty! We are cooking a Mexican-inspired menu as a nod to the restaurant UP at The Standard, where the dinner is taking place. It features a Pueblo dish which is Taco Arabes - where pita is used in place of corn tortilla - all inspired by my kebabs at One Star Döner Bar! I will be sourcing all the ingredients from the Balearics in my imitable style - exactly how I would at the restaurant in the UK, but with the local products available to me in Ibiza, absolutely buzzing to cook for everyone!
Oyster Ceviche & Caviar - CBC’s Fried Chicken
Watermelon Carpaccio & Melon Caviar - CBC’s Fried Aubergine (v)
Red Prawns & Lobster Cocktail
Grilled Avocado, Frozen Goat Cheese & Pico de Gallo (v)
Black Pork & Sobrasada Tacos Arabes & OSDB Acid House Hot Sauce
Courgette Taco Arabes & OSDB Acid House Hot Sauce (v)
Local Fig Tart & Fig Leaf Ice Cream (v)
Beat Hotel Presents: Island Times is on Thursday 28th September at 6.30pm, and will see a diverse selection of creatives showcasing the influence of Ibiza on their art, including a conversation with countercultural visionary and author Irvine Welsh, live music from ambient pioneer Gigi Masin accompanied by selections from DJs Luke Una and Gaya Brisa.
Michelin-Starred chef Brad Carter and UP's Executive Chef, take inspiration from Ibiza’s dancefloors for his menu, in the form of 3-courses; “Warm up”, “Main Room” and “Afterparty”.
